UNSC CONSIDERS NEXT STEPS ON LIBERIA/DRC SANCTIONS

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001196

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: DRC PREL UNSC PGOV ETTC
SUBJECT: UNSC CONSIDERS NEXT STEPS ON LIBERIA/DRC SANCTIONS


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The UN Security Council (UNSC) on 17
December heard briefings from the chairs of the UNSC Liberia
Sanctions Committee and the UNSC Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) Sanctions Committee detailing recent reports from the
UN expert bodies tasked with monitoring implementation of the
sanctions regimes in each country. The chair of the DRC
Sanctions Committee noted troubling allegations in the DRC
report, among them that the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC)
has been fighting alongside the FDLR, that Rwandan
authorities are active supporters of the CNDP, and that the
illicit exploitation of natural resources continues in the
DRC. Italy, Costa Rica, Belgium, China and Vietnam echoed
these concerns. The chair of the Liberia Sanctions Committee
recognized progress in Liberia, including on diamonds and
forestry, but noted that a number of overarching issues
continue to have the potential to affect security. The
United States introduced a draft UNSC resolution to renew
Liberia sanctions for another year and noted the important
role sanctions have played in supporting Liberia's democratic
development. END SUMMARY.

THE DRC: ALLEGATIONS OF WORRYING LINKAGES
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2. (SBU) Indonesian Permanent Representative Natalegawa,
chair of the DRC Sanctions Committee, noted in his
presentation that the UN Group of Experts (GOE) assessing
implementation of the sanctions in the DRC made several
disturbing allegations in their report, including that
Rwandan authorities have been complicit in the recruitment of
children by the CNDP rebel group operating in eastern DRC and
that there is extensive collaboration between the FARDC and
the FDLR and PARECO rebel groups. He said the GOE also
reported that some UN member states fail to implement the
sanctions because they are unaware they exist, that the FDLR
gains revenues in the order of millions of USD from the
minerals trade, including through the taxation of mines and
trade routes, and that the FARDC is a major source of arms
through leaks, sale, loss, and theft. The Chair noted that
the GOE made a series of recommendations to address problems
in the regime, including that the DRC Sanctions Committee
promote broad-based compliance with and implementation of the
general arms embargo, and that the Committee request the DRC
government to tell the FARDC that collaboration with
non-governmental armed groups is prohibited.


3. (SBU) In response, several Council members deplored the
situation in DRC and called for more serious efforts to
implement the sanctions. Italy, stressing its hope that the
UNSC will act in a timely manner to resolve the situation in
the DRC, noted that serious violations of human rights and
humanitarian law in the DRC must not go unaddressed and that
the ongoing illicit exploitation of natural resources is a
serious concern. Costa Rica supported the GOE's work in
addressing child recruitment and the exploitation of natural
resources to fuel the fighting in the DRC, noting further
that San Jose firmly supports the GOE's recommendations and
disagrees with those who might feel they infringe on the
DRC's national sovereignty. Costa Rica also expressed
concern over the lack of awareness among some member states
of the regime and called for a more active Council role in
working with governments in the region to ensure proper
implementation. Belgium noted that the situation in the
eastern part of the DRC reaffirms the importance of effective
sanctions regimes and stressed further the need for more
robust action to address the exploitation of natural
resources and for countries in the region to cooperate.
China supported the Chair's intention to refer the GOE's
report to the Permanent Representatives of Rwanda and the
DRC. Burkina Faso noted its support for most of the GOE's
conclusions, the initiatives in play to resolve the conflict
in the DRC, and the crucial role of MONUC.

LIBERIA: MORE PROGRESS,
BUT SANCTIONS FOR ANOTHER YEAR
--------------


4. (SBU) Libyan Permanent Representative Etthali, chair of
the Liberia Sanctions Committee, provided a relatively more
optimistic description of continued progress but lingering
problems in Liberia throughout his presentation of the UN's
Liberia Panel of Expert's (POE) report. On diamonds, for
example, he said the POE determined that progress has been
made since May 2008 and that a number of the issues which
were considered to pose threats to the integrity of Liberia's

system have been resolved, including the appointment of an
independent diamond valuator. He cautioned, however, that
the POE report also documents alleged recruitment and
movement of arms as well as a lack of regulation of natural
resource sectors. The POE recommended, among other things,
that Liberia strengthen the capacity of its law enforcement
agencies to monitor borders and reassess its strategy for
allocating commercial timber concessions, and that the

Security Council direct the UN Mission in Liberia to continue
to support Liberia's security sector reform efforts and to
help Liberia establish control over its natural resources.
Permanent Representative Etthali also noted that since 16
June 2008 the Liberia Sanctions Committee has removed the
names of four individuals from its travel ban and assets
freeze lists, for a total of ten individuals in 2008,
continuing a trend toward the conditioned lifting of
sanctions related to Liberia.


5. (SBU) Following this presentation, Ambassador DiCarlo
formally introduced a U.S.-drafted UNSC resolution renewing
the travel ban and arms embargo in Liberia, which will come
to a vote on 19 December. The assets freeze, she noted,
which remains in place until the UNSC decides otherwise, is
unchanged. Ambassador DiCarlo emphasized the important role
targeted sanctions have played in supporting Liberia's
democratic development.


6. (SBU) Electronic copies of the two UN expert reports and
of each Chair's statement are available by contacting
Lorraine Konzet (lkonzet@state.gov).
Khalilzad